Arrangement for the bottom pouring of slag into a chill mould

ABSTRACT

AN ARRANGEMENT FOR THE BOTTOM POURING OF SLAG INTO A CHILL MOULD OF AN ELECTROSLAG FURNACE, COMPRISING A HEAD PIECE FOR ALLOWING THE LIQUID SLAG TO BE POURED, AND A MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A DUCT CONNECTING THE CAVITY OF THE HEADPIECE WITH THE CAVITY OF A CHILL MOULD, THE MEMBER WITH UCT BEING MOUNTED SO AS TO BE CAPABLE OF MOVING IN RELATION TO THE CHILL MOULD IN ORDER TO OVERLAP THIS DUCT AT THE POINT WHERE IT COMMUNICATES WITH THE CAVITY OF THE CHILL MOULD AFTER THE LIQUID SLAG HAS BEEN POURED THEREINTO, AND WHEREIN THE POURING OF THE SLAG INTO THE CHILL MOULD ENABLES INGOTS TO BE OBTAINED WITHOUT ANY LATERAL PROJECTIONS IN THEIR BOTTOM END, AND ALLOWS EFFECTING THE ACCURATE DOSING OF SLAG BEING POURED INTO THE CHILL MOULD.

June 6, 1972 v, BAGLAI ETAL 3,667,719

ARRANGEMENT FOR THE BOTTOM POURING OF SLAG INTO A CHILL MOULD Filed Nov.18, 1969 2 Sheets-5heetfi1 June 6, 1972 v, BAGLAI ETAL 3,667,719

ARRANGEMENT FOR THE BOTTOM POURING OF SLAG INTO A CHILL MOULD 2Sheets-Sheet' 2 Filed Nov. 18, 1969 United States Patent 3,667,719ARRANGEMENT FOR THE BOTTOM POURING OF SLAG INTO A CHILL MOULD VitalyMikhailovich Baglai, Ulitsa Semashko 10, kv.

54/3; Jury Vadimovich Latash, Vozdukhoflotsky prospekt 48, kv. 14; andBoris Izrailevich Medovar, Bulvar Lesi Ukrainki 2, kv. 8, all of Kiev,U.S.S.R.

Filed Nov. 18, 1969, Ser. No. 877,663 Int. Cl. B22d 27/02 US. Cl.249-109 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An arrangement for thebottom pouring of slag into a chill mould of an electroslag furnace,comprising a head piece for allowing the liquid slag to be poured, and amember provided with a duct connecting the cavity of the headpiece withthe cavity of a chill mould, the member with duct being mounted so as tobe capable of moving in relation to the chill mould in order to overlapthis duct at the point where it communicates with the cavity of thechill mould after the liquid slag has been poured thereinto, and whereinthe pouring of the slag into the chill mould enables ingots to beobtained without any lateral projections in their bottom end, and allowseffecting the accurate dosing of slag being poured into the chill mould.

The present invention relates, in general, to apparatus for pouring slaginto moulds to be employed in metallurgy when manufacturing high-qualitysteels and alloys by the electroslag remelting of consumable electrodes.

Known heretofore are arrangements for the bottom pouring of premeltedslag into a metal mould. The existing arrangement is provided with ahead piece for pouring slag thereinto, and with a part having a ductconnecting the top cavity with the mould cavity. Using such arrangementscontributes to increasing the productive output of an electroslagfurance, as under these circumstances time is saved, which otherwisewould be required for melting slag directly in a chill mould of afurnace. Moreover, ingots of a better quality are thus produced,including their bottom portion, which allows reducing the amount of theingot bottom end to be cropped.

However, the use of the bottom pouring of slag into the mould results inobtaining ingots having a lateral projection up to 300 mm. long, asformed during solidification of slag in the duct connecting the headpiece with the mould cavity. This projection hampers the furthertreatment of the ingot, and, hence, should be cropped off. If theprojection is not cropped, it will be rolled into the ingots body duringthe rolling thereof thus detrimentally affecting the quality of theingot and resulting in metal losses. Besides, the presence of a lateralprojection in the bottom end of the ingot renders impossible theapplication of non-detachable big-end-up moulds on electroslag remeltingunits featuring a stationary consumable electrode which is essentiallyan ingot of ordinary type.

In this case, to extract the ingot from the chill mould requirespreviously cropping off the lateral projection of the former or makingthe latter detachable through its vertical plane. Both approaches areinconvenient inasmuch as they involve an increase in the furnaceshutdowns, a complication of its construction, and require using anadditional complicated equipment.

Moreover, the existing arrangements for the bottom pouring of slag intothe chill mould of an electroslag furnace do not ensure an accuratedosing of the amount of liquid slag to be poured thereinto.

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate theabove-mentioned disadvantages. Other objects and advanice tages of theinvention wil become more fully apparent from the following descriptionthereof.

Accordingly, the main object of the invention is to provide such anarrangement for the bottom pouring of slag into a chill mould featuringsuch an embodiment of a member, which would enable manufacturing ingotswithout lateral projections in their bottom end and effecting theaccurate dosing of slag to be poured into the chill mould.

This object is attained owing to the provision of an arrangement for thebottom pouring of slag into a chill mould of an electroslag furnace,comprising a head piece for casting slag thereinto, and a memberprovided with a duct connecting the headpiece cavity with the mouldcavity, in which, according to the invention, the member with duct ismounted so as to be capable of moving in respect to the chill mould inorder to overlap the duct in the point where it communicates with themold cavity after the slag has been poured thereinto.

To enable the member to move, the arrangement should be provided with adrive being essentially a power cylinder, the movable element of whichis connected to the member.

It is desirable that the member with duct be made composite, consistingof a fixed and movable parts, the latter being connected to the movableelement of the drive.

The member with duct may be secured on a carriage.

The member should be secured on the carriage by means of a mechanismadapted to lower the member when its duct is being cleaned from solidslag, and for raising it into a position where slag is poured into thechill mould.

Hence, the proposed arrangement allows of producing ingots, withoutlateral projections and of accurately dosing the slag to be poured intothe chill mould.

For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantagesand specific objects attained by its use, reference should be made tothe accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there areillustrated and described exemplary embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the arrangement complete witha non-detachable member;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same arrangement without a head piece;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the arrangement complete with a member composedof a stationary and horizontally movable parts;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the arrangement complete witha member provided with a vertically movable part; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus complete with amember mounted on a mechanism which is secured on the carriage.

EXAMPLE 1 The arrangement is provided with a head piece 1 (FIG. 1) madeas a funnel intended for pouring the premelted slag thereinto anddisposed over a member 2 (FIGS. 1 and 2), having a duct 3 connecting thecavity of the head piece 1 with the cavity of a chill mould 4. Themember 2 is mounted on a cooled plate 5 located between the chill mould4 and bottom plate 6. The member 2 is mounted so as to be capable ofmoving in respect to the chill mould 4 in order to overlap the duct 3 inthe point where it communicates with the cavity of the chill mould 4after the liquid slag has been poured from the head piece 1 thereinto.

To move the part 2, the apparatus is provided with a drive 7 beingessentially a power cylinder 8 complete with a movable element 9connected with the member 2.

The apparatus operates as follows.

Prior to pouring the liquid slag into the chill mould 4, the member 2 isplaced so that the outlet opening of the duct 3 coincide with theopening of the chill mould 4.

Then liquid slag is poured into the head pice 1, the slag arriving viathe duct 3 into the cavity of the chill mould 4. After the requiredportion of slag has been poured into the chill mould 4, a drive 7 isactuated, and its movable element 9 shifts the member 2 to the left. Theoutlet opening of the duct 3 is thereby overlapped with a wall of thechill mould 4, and the liquid slag is discontinued to be supplied intothe cavity thereof.

The member 2 remains in this position until a heat is completed. As aresult, an ingot is produced free from any lateral projection, which isreadily extracted through the top of the chill mould.

EXAMPLE 2 The apparatus is provided with a member 10 (FIG. 3) composedof a stationary 11 and movable 12 parts. The stationary part 11 isprovided with a duct 13 connecting the cavity of a head piece 14 withthe cavity of a chill mould 15. The movable part 12 is connected to amovable member 16 of a drive 17. The end of the movable part 12 isessentially a part of the wall of the duct 13.

The apparatus operates as follows.

Prior to pouring liquid slag, the head piece 14 is placed on thestationary member 11 of the part 10 so that the duct 13 connects thecavity of the head piece 14 with the cavity of the chill mould 15. Theend of the movable member 12 is thereby disposed on the level of thewall of the duct 13. Then liquid slag is poured into the cavity of thehead piece 14, the slag arriving via the duct 13 into the cavity of thechill mould 15. After the required amount of slag has been poured intothe chill mould, a drive is actuated, and its movable element shifts themovable part 12 of the member 10 in such a manner that it intersects theduct 13 and thrusts with its end against the opposite wall.

The slag is thereby discontinued to be supplied into the cavity of thechill mould. The movable part 12 of the member remains in this positionuntil the heat is completed. The ingot thus produced (without anylateral projection) is extracted from the chill mould, the duct 13 iscleaned from solid slag, and the movable part 12 of the member isreturned into its original position with a view to allow pouring thesubsequent portion of liquid slag into the chill mould.

EXAMPLE 3 The apparatus is provided with a member 18 (FIG. 4) composedof a stationary 19 and movable 20 parts. The latter with its end portionmakes up the bottom of a duct 21 of a member 18 inserted into a grooveof a cooled bottom plate 22. The duct 21, provided in the member 18,connects the cavity of the head piece 23 with the cavity of a chillmould 24. The movable part 20 of the member 18 is connected with amovable element 25 of a hydraulic cylinder 26 moving the formervertically.

The apparatus operates as follows.

Prior to pouring the liquid slag into a chill mould 24, the member 18 isplaced so that the duct 21 connects the cavity of the head piece 23 withthe cavity of the chill mould 24, as it is shown in FIG. 4. Then theliquid slag is poured through the head piece 23 via the duct 21 into thechill mould 24. After the required portion of slag has been poured intothe chill mould 24, a drive is actuated so that the movable part 20 ofthe member 18 shifts upwardly until it overlaps the opening of the duct21 at the inlet into the chill mould 24. The apparatus remains in thisposition until a heat is completed. Then an ingot is extracted from thechill mould 24, the movable part 20 is lowered, and the duct 21 of themember 18 is cleaned from solid slag. Thereafter, the process of pouringslag is repeated. The movable part 20 of the member 18 may be providedin its bottom portion with a shoulder which passes throughout the entireperimeter of its cross-sectional area. It is intended for limiting thetravel of the part 20 upwardly and for preventing the liquid slag andmetal from flowing into a gap available between the parts 19 and 20 ofthe member 18.

EXAMPLE 4 The apparatus is provided with a head piece 27 (FIG. 5) forpouring the liquid slag, and a member 28 having a duct 29 connecting thecavity of the head piece with the cavity of a chill mould 30 placed on abottom plate 31. When the member 28 is placed into the position forpouring the liquid slag, the outlet opening of the duct coincides withthe opening 32 provided in the bottom plate 31. The member 28 is pressedto the bottom plate 31 by means of a mechanism 33 (jack or spring)adapted to lower the member 28 in the course of cleaning its duct fromsolid slag, and to lift it into the position where the liquid slag ispoured into the chill mould 30. The mechanism 33, retaining the member28, is secured on a carriage 34 provided with a drive 35 complete with amovable element 36.

The apparatus operates as follows.

Prior to pouring liquid slag into the chill mould 30, the member 28 isplaced so that the outlet opening of the duct 29 coincides with opening32 provided in the bottom plate 31. Then the premelted slag is pouredinto the head piece 27, which flows via the duct 29 through the opening32 in the bottom plate 31 into the cavity of the chill mould 30. Afterthe required portion of slag has been poured into the chill mould, adrive 35 is actuated together with the movable element 36 shifting thecarriage 34 complete with the mechanism 33 and member 28 mountedthereon; the latter is shifted to the left (see FIG. 5), and the outletopening of the duct is overlapped by the bottom plate 31. At thisjuncture, the liquid slag is discontinued to be supplied into the chillmould.

The member 28 remains in this position until the heat is completed. Thenthe member 28 is lowered by means of the mechanism 33, and the duct iscleaned from the solidified slag. At the same time, the ingot is removedfrom the ingot mould 30. The member 28 is placed by means of the drive35 and mechanism 33' into the position allowing the pouring of slag.

In the applicance of the invention, the member may be made as a part ofthe bottom plate or a part of the watercooled plate to be providedbetween the lower flange of the chill mould and the bottom plate. It canalso be mounted in the lower flange of the chill mould or simultaneouslyin the flange of the chill mould and bottom plate.

The drive for the member may be embodied in such a manner that it couldmove the member along another trajectory, for example, turn it inhorizontal plane in respect to the bottom plate and chill mould througha certain angle permitting the duct to be overlapped, and, hence, theliquid slag to be prevented from flowing into the chill mould.

Experimental tests have shown the appliance to be capable of precludingthe formation of lateral projections in the lower portion of an ingot,allowing the application of simpler electroslag furnaces for remeltingstationary electrodes in a big-end-up chill mould widening upwards and areduction in losses of discarded metal.

Though the present invention is described in connection with itspreferred embodiments, it is obvious that there may be allowed variantsand modifications thereof, which do not deviate from the scope and ideaof the invention, as will be readily understood by those skilled in theart.

We claim:

1. An arrangement for the bottom pouring of slag into the mold of anelectroslag furnace; comprising a hollow head piece, a bottom platehaving a duct for pouring slag, said head piece being installed abovethe duct, said duct connecting the hollow interior of said head piecewith the mold cavity below the bottom edge of said mold; a cooled memberpositioned so as to be movable relative to the mold and the bottom plateand adapted to intersect during movement thereof a longitudinalhorizontal axis of the duct, said member in one of its extreme positionsclosing the duct below said mold bottom edge and displacing the slagfrom the part of the duct which is within the cavity of the mold.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable member islocated in a recess provided in the bottom plate, said movable memberbeing movable in a horizontal plane, said member in one of its extremepositions forming a wall for the part of the duct which is with in thecavity of the mold and in the other extreme position bearing against anopposite wall of the part of the duct located within the bottom plate.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable member isadapted to pass through an opening References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 973,074 10/ 19101 Scaife 251144 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,193 5/ 1864Great \Britain 249-109 ROBERT D. BALDWIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.164-250

